Top 5 Worst Video Game Related Websites

Old-wizard.com writes: "Video game websites are a dime a dozen like most theme focused sites (e.g. music websites). Everywhere you go, you can find an opinion on video games with equal amount of bitterness and approbation. Some of these web sites though, are clearly in the opinion market for other reasons. Some have saw the success of other forms and blatantly copied these originals. Some have even designed multiple websites with contradicting opinions in order to start fake console wars. Some of the most shameful acts from video game related websites have come from those sites who have cowered to public opinion and advertising money by only giving positive reviews to certain video games. One can see with their own eyes how a review went from a 5.0 to a 9.0 after one week, and how after that week, there was an advertisement for the game next to the new rating. While we certainly don't want to sound sanctimonious with our video game website ethics, we do realize that there are limits. For one, once a video game has been rated and reviewed, its over and done, even if we disagree with it later. That's the beauty of writing in the present; we can look back and see how much we agreed or disagreed with our opinions from the past. This hope for a more pure writing and reviewing style has been guided by all these next websites who copy, change, and cower to other outside forces. The lack of any substantial writing from these websites is a signifier to their other motivations."

They always give games the typical scores you would expect. They never go out on a limb to form an original opinion. Its kind of useless reading their reviews because you know if its a big game theyll give it a favorable review.

Only part of their web site is dedicated to gaming, and most of that content is 360.

Another thing I cant stand is their worthless podcasts. Really though, I know podcasts are supposed to be weekly but if you don't have anything important to say whats the harm in holding off until you do have something worth putting in a podcast!?

Is the very embodiment of lackluster,I do agree that GameSpot has completely fallen off,but to put IGN in that list followed by ridiculously harebrained reasons to hate the site,tells me that he doesn't know much about video gaming sites.

Could we please forget about oldwizard? Let's just stop linking there, stop visiting. Reading such dumb articles is a waste of time and since there's nothing good in them all this traffic from N4G is making them earn some cash on adverts. Do we really need this crap?

Sega has been behind plenty of good games over the years, for one, and it's perfectly understandable for their to be a Sega fan site. Let them do their thing and stop complaining about it.

IGN worse than GameSpot? Puh-Leez! What's this crap about having to be a member to get any content from IGN? I'm not and never have been a member, but I've posted on their forums and in their comments section numerous times, and I've read all the reviews I want to read, I've watched videos from them and looked at screen shots, I've read news articles, listened to podcasts, etc. Sure, they have members' only stuff, but that stuff usually becomes free for everyone to look at within a short while, and even if it doesn't, who needs that crap anyway? If you do, then buy a membership: problem solved. The free content on their site is just fine.

About the Irate Gamer site... he calls him out for having negative things to say about THREE games? Jeez. He even says of his criticism: "His criticism of the game was often marked by an inordinate amount of pejorative adjectives with nothing substantial back it up" Well, Old-Wizard, the same could be said of your criticism of his website.

" All in all, The Irate Gamer seems to just be looking for something to b*tch about with the least amount of real reasoning as humanly possible. The comic relief needed to support this adventure would have to be large, but he fails to deliver in this area relative to that which he is perennially trying to copy from."

And finally, he finds a spot for the SonyDefenseForce, but not a spot for the 360DefenseForce?

What a sham. They're both two peas in a pod, only SonyDefenseForce is definitely more humorous, which in my opinion makes it better than the other. I'd rather get a good laugh from a fanboy than just a series of annoying diatribes, and 360DefenseForce's website has the absolute worst layout & design I have ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes upon. Ugly, poor color scheme, poor use of space, and difficult to navigate.

I don't know how bad IGN has gotten to be number 1 over...GAMESPOT! what did IGN do, kill his dog? anyway, he hit it right on the head with GAMESPOT with their idiot reviews and stalin type authority over the forums. I just realized that gamefaqs and gamespot are one in the same and that makes a lot of sense. But this is an opinion anyway cause in my view, i would've put 1up in that list.

their list was in parts quite acurate . Except he forgot to add his own site in the mix .

I also feel that IGN and gamespot are quite awful review sites , the worst even . But the sad thing is everyone and their grandmothers are putting up blog sites with reviews now ... not to mention rumors ... And those are obviously worse than professional websites .

Wow that article is complete garbage. IGN?? Seriously? IGN is my most trusted site for video game reviews, and you can access all of the reviews, previews, videos, and screenshots without being a member. Plus free membership lets you comment on whatever you want so whats with the hatin?

This article is a prime example of what is wrong these days. People see a name (Gamespot, IGN, etc.) and their opinion of the article is automatically skewed (and that's even if they READ the article, which doesn't happen often).

that is really akrward..IGN to me is the best website..and only EXCLUSIVE stuff are members only (guides, rare videos) but you can just google these items..and for reviews, i think its fairly good, i mean what is the number one game to come out in August? Madden, even though its repeition, people still buy it..they last great madden was back in 05..so i think this article is stupid in that position..maybe he should take the time out to read the reviews...better luck next time

ok, so like 3 of those sites I had never even heard of until reading that article and I'm sure you can guess which 3 they are. But, one thing I find funny is that he calls the Sony site a biased site and by the name of the site I'm going to agree with him (remember: I've never even heard of that site, nor been to it). So, I'm sure it's a super bias Sony site. But, obviously the editor has a little bit of bias towards the Wii and it's very apparent in the article. He specifically states "the lackluster PS3" and even goes on to defend the Wii in the same sentence while only giving partial mention to the 360. So, I'm sure he hates that site for reasons beyond them just being Sony Fanboys... it's also his mortal enemy in the game world since he's obviously bias towards Nintendo.

You have no idea. You should find his article on the 5 worst consoles ever. They're all Sega, except for one: the Virtual Boy. And even in the reason why it wasn't number one he stated that it WOULD have been higher, but wasn't because Nintendo made it. Therefore, since his precious Nintendo made it, it automatically is better than it was.

I agree...pretty much every site sucks for reviews...the gaming media still has no clue how to do it right, which most likely is impossible anyway...but gamespot/ign are great for videos and previews...you know, the stuff where they are actually not reviewing anything...

the sites that really suck though are places like GameDaily, etc...the low rent 'bloggish' sites that run pointless 'top 10' lists that are so full of blatant bias that it is almost painfull to read (the 360 being hands down best console ever made?...look to gamedaily, they said it...not me)...the site that called master chief the greatest video game character of all time...its sites like this that are a waste of everyone's time...the bigger places are ok in that they actually have the money and personel to get you information on games before the bloggers do...other than that, they are also worthless...

IGN is one of the best videogame websites out there, does it have flaws?....sure it does, but let me tell you, I usually trust (with some exceptions) the reviews IGN gives...and I usually agree to some extent. Maybe not on the overall score, but I do agree with it.

The WORST videogame website is without a doubt Gamespot, I think it's even worse than Sony Defense Force. It's definetly the worst site.

Games Radar is neutral to me, sometimes I check it out. About IGN, they're just envious with the fact that IGN is managing to do a lot of things well (with all its different sections, even if not all of them are cool) while Old Wizard can't even do one article right.

Oh well, everyone has their own choices; but after this article, I'll definetly take note to NOT pay attention to articles coming from Old Wizard. Heh. In fact, with that article, I think they've found a place on their own list, at least #3. Heh. For "Not knowing a thing about online videogame websites".

Actually, it doesn't. SDF is pure satire, not a serious site. If it were serious, I'd have to ask the writers to admit themselves to an insane asylum.

Also, this guy's an idiot for putting SegaNerds on the list. He's making fun of them just because they like Sega games. And it's not like their enjoyment of Sega games isn't biased like it is with SDF (if SDF were actually real). SegaNerds isn't going around saying everything else in the world sucks. In fact, I don't think they even talk about everything else. I do see intermittent lumps of respect for Nintendo though. Yet this guy is calling them out for liking an "average" game series, among other things.

Plus, he called the PlayStation 3 "lackluster". Clearly, this is bias, and already I think two of the things on that list should be removed and swapped.